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Jan. 29 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a ban Monday on disposable vapes in an effort to cut youth vaping, which has seen a drastic rise in the country over the past several years. Sunak, on a school visit, announced the ban as part of a package of measures he unveiled that aims to bring about a so-called smoke free generation, his office said in a statement.
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"As any parent or teacher knows, one of the most worrying trends at the moment is the rise in vaping among children, and so we must act before it becomes endemic," he said.
"The long-term impacts of vaping are unknown and the nicotine within them can be highly addictive, so while vaping can be a useful tool to help smokers quit, marketing vapes to children is not acceptable."
Along with the ban, the package includes new powers to restrict vape flavors, change how such products are displayed in shops to lessen their appeal to children and a new law that would ban the selling of tobacco products, including nicotine pouches, to anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2009.
"As prime minister I have an obligation to do what I think is the right thing for our country in the long term," he said. "That is why I am taking bold action to ban disposable vapes -- which have driven the rise in youth vaping -- and bring forward new powers to restrict vape flavors, introduce plain packaging and change how vapes are displayed in shops."
The announcement comes amid surging use of vapes and vape products among youth in Britain.
According to statistics recently published by the British government, vaping is helping between 50,000 and 70,000 British smokers quit the habit each year, but the number of British children vaping has soared three-fold in the last three years, with more than 20% of children between the ages of 11 and 17 having vaped last year. Use of vaping among 11 and 15 years is also climbing, with 9% now vaping, it said.
One of the causes for the surge that the British government has highlighted is disposable vapes, with statistics showing that the number of 11 to 17 years old using this type of product having increased nearly nine-fold in the last two years.
Among the new powers announced Monday will see the restriction in flavors offered as well as plainer, less visually appealing packaging for the vape products, which will also be moved out of sight of children in stores.
New fines will also be ushered in to stop the sale of vapes to children in England and Wales.
"We are in the midst of a worrying rise in young people vaping," Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said in a statement.
"I want to stop youth vaping in its tracks -- and a ban on disposable vapes is central to that."
